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Friday, January 24, 2014

God talk and Gun control

The Georgia legislature is currently examining a bill to allow people to bring guns into churches and schools. This debate has been going on for a while now, in various contexts and versions. I've gone back and forth over my own position on gun control over the years. At this point, I've come to the point of few answers and one very potent question:

What does it say about God if we bring guns in the church?

I don't want to pass judgement publicly on this issue, but church people cannot pretend that we are not making a statement about God with every action we take.

A little while back, I saw a video from the Vlogbrothers in which the speaker made the claim that most people live their lives in a state of functional nihilism. Which means irrespective of belief we tend to act as if nothing really matters. I have been troubled by this claim largely because I it's truer than I'd like it to be.

What does it say about God if we bring guns in the church?

Because it definitely says something. I think it says something different to each person who engages with the question. Everyone is going to have to come up with a reason for supporting or opposing these policies, or by availing yourself of the opportunity to carry a weapon in a place of worship. I think it's a fantasy to claim that we're saying nothing by our actions. Because people are hearing us whether we think we're talking or not.

What does it say about God if we bring guns in the church?

I asked a youth that question after the church we were a part of screened a documentary on gun violence. I wasn't lobbying for a particular position or another, but I think the question is very important, and should shape our actions. We have got to examine why we act in certain ways, and what kind of belief those actions are showing. Because very few of us believe that nothing matters, so perhaps we should start acting like it.